Friday, December 9, 2011

The Bow

More than a gesture, a bow is an act of veneration -- for ourselves and the universe.- Lama Surya Das

In November 2010, when we returned from Brasil to Sacramento, and I was walking with Milton thru the terminal toward baggage claim, there was a sense of accomplishment, and not a little dread. My head and heard were conflicted… selling all our things, telling folks goodbye, moving what we wanted to keep… the list was growing with each step.

Accomplishment, because we had both successfully completed the concurso to become professors at UFOP, and dread… a feeling that “ok, you got what you asked for”. I was exhausted, very emotional, very excited and happy… and suddenly, in the old crowded terminal, there was a Buddhist monk sitting, just as I walked by him he looked up, and instinctively I quickly placed my hands together and bowed to him… he looked back at me and bowed back.

Pema Chodron: The Propensity To Be Bothered

Via The Raw Story:

Beware of fornicating Santas. (You'll see.)

Colbert: 'Unlike being gay, loving Christmas is not a choice' | The Raw Story

www.rawstory.com

In his recent, roundly mocked ad, Texas Governor Rick Perry says that you “don’t have to be in the pew every Sunday to know that something is wrong” with our country in that “gays can serve openly in the military and our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas.”

Via Huffington: Prop 8 OVERTURNED: Gay Marriage Ban Struck Down In California

In a major victory for gay rights activists, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday that a voter initiative banning same-sex marriage in California violated the Constitution's equal protection and due process rights clauses.

After a five-month wait, 9th Circuit District Court Judge Vaughn Walker offered a 136-page decision in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, firmly rejecting Proposition 8, which was passed by voters in November 2008.

"Although Proposition 8 fails to possess even a rational basis, the evidence presented at trial shows that gays and lesbians are the type of minority strict scrutiny was designed to protect," Walker ruled.

"Plaintiffs do not seek recognition of a new right. To characterize plaintiffs' objective as "the right to same-sex marriage" would suggest that plaintiffs seek something different from what opposite-sex couples across the state enjoy -- namely, marriage. Rather, plaintiffs ask California to recognize their relationships for what they are: marriages."

read the rest of the article here (woo hoo!)

Via JMG: Prop 8 Hearing Reactions

Lambda Legal

"The Court raked the lawyer for Prop 8's proponents over the coals for their argument that gay judges alone have special obligations to prove their impartiality that no other judge must bear. From the start, this motion was an offensive ploy by the proponents of Prop 8 to distract attention from the unconstitutionality of Prop 8 and the ongoing harm that that measure inflicts upon same-sex couples and their families. But the motion came at the expense of the integrity of the judicial system and the judges who have devoted their lives to public service and ensuring justice. We hope for a swift victory that will put this dangerous and desperate argument out of its misery."

National Center For Lesbian Rights

"It's no wonder that the Prop 8 proponents are doing everything they can to distract attention from the real issues in the Perry case and to hide the trial from public view. The proponents were given every opportunity to come forward at trial with any good reason to uphold Prop 8's treatment of same-sex couples as second-class citizens. They came up empty, so they decided to change the subject. Today, the Ninth Circuit appeared to see through at least part of their smokescreen. Regardless of how they rule on releasing the trial video, the judges seem ready to move ahead and decide whether Judge Walker's decision should be upheld on its merits. They did not seem at all inclined to throw out Judge Walker's detailed and carefully reasoned opinion on the basis of unfounded personal attacks on the integrity of the judicial process."

It's late so more reactions will likely come in the morning. I'll add them then.

Labels: AFER, Lambda Legal, Proposition 8

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: LOS ANGELES: Elderly Marriage Activist Dies Waiting For Prop 8 To Be Overturned

Ed Watson, above left, has died at the age of 78. Watson made national news this year when he expressed his hope that he would be allowed to marry before Alzheimer's Disease robbed him of the ability to recognize Derence, his partner of 40 years.

Gay rights activists lamented Watson's death as a reminder of the harm inflicted on same-sex couples throughout the state because they are denied the right to marry. "It's ironic that he died on the eve of appeals about peripheral issues around a case that should have been settled more than a year ago," said Richard Jacobs, chairman and founder of the gay rights advocacy group Courage Campaign, as he was en route to San Francisco for a hearing before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "None of this will matter to Ed or Derence."

Here's the clip the couple made in March.

Labels: activism, gay seniors, obituary, Proposition 8

Reposted from Joe

Jesus Responds To Rick Perry

Via JMG: NBA Protects Gays In New Contract

The NBA has followed the recent example of Major League Baseball and added sexual orientation protections to their players agreement.

“I am pleased to announce that we have concluded the collective bargaining process and have reached an agreement that addresses many significant issues that were challenges to our league,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern. “This collective bargaining agreement will help us move toward a better business model, a more competitive league and better alignment between compensation and performance.”

And now we get another round of outraged press releases from Tony Perkins.

Labels: gay athletes, NBA, sports

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: NOM To Endorse Gingrich?

Newt Gingrich would like to remind everybody that that marriage is between one man and one woman whom you abandon riddled with cancer on her hospital bed while you fuck the shit out of your mistress whom you later marry and cheat on with a third woman while screaming with Godly moral outrage about the infidelities of the president.

And NOM's Brian Brown, one of the nation's leading "defenders of marriage," an allegedly devout Catholic for whom divorce is forbidden, is raising money to make Gingrich president. Brian Brown: "Everybody is allowed to fuck anybody they want, married or not, as long as they tell Jeebus: 'My bad!' after every adulterous encounter. But not homos. Definitely not homos. They belong to Satan."

Labels: adultery, Brian Brown, fascists, GOP, hate groups, hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich, NOM

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma December 9, 2011

Be Still in Your Heart

When we wake up to how human life on this planet actually is, and stop running away or building walls in our heart, then we develop a wiser motivation for our life. And we keep waking up as the natural dukkha [suffering] touches us. This means that we sharpen our attention to catch our instinctive reactions of blaming ourselves, blaming our parents, or blaming society; we meditate and access our suffering at its root; and consequently we learn to open and be still in our heart.

- Ajahn Sucitto, "Turning the Wheel of Truth: Commentary on the Buddha's First Teaching"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Via unicornbooty.com: Newt Gingrich’s Sister Tells Rachel Maddow Why She’s Voting for Obama

Newt Gingrich’s mild mannered sister Candace Gingrich-Jones is the Associate Director of Youth and Campus Outreach for the Human Rights Campaign, and a happily married lesbian woman.

Oh, and a total Obama fan!

Watch in glee as Candace explains to Rachel Maddow why her own brother will not be receiving her vote in the coming election, even if he secures his party’s nomination. Oh, and also feel free to shake your head and make “tsk-tsk” noises at your screen when Candace describes how Newt declined an invitation to attend her wedding.

Candace was at all three of Newt’s (each with a new bride), so it seems like the very least he could do was show up for her one.

make the jump here to read/ listen to the full interview

Via Huffington: Obama: Defense Of Marriage Act Should Be Repealed

President Barack Obama is throwing his support behind a bill that would repeal the federal government's ban on same-sex marriage.

The president has "long called for a legislative appeal for the so-called Defense of Marriage Act which continues to have a real impact on families," White House spokesman Jay Carney announced Tuesday.
The president is “proud to support” the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, Carney said.

The Obama administration announced in February that it believes the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and would no longer defend it in court.

make the jump here to read the full story

Via JMG: Malawi To Review Anti-Gay Laws

While Hillary Clinton's speech may have angered anti-factions in Nigeria, it appears that it may have the desired effect in Malawi.

Malawi will review a series of controversial laws, including a ban on homosexual acts, Justice Minister Ephraim Chiume has said. Mr Chiume said the review was in response to "public opinion". Western governments criticised Malawi last year for jailing a gay couple on sodomy charges. On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would use foreign aid to encourage countries to decriminalise homosexuality. UK Prime Minister David Cameron expressed a similar view in October, saying that gay rights were a human right.

Labels: Africa, Hillary Clinton, LGBT rights, Malawi

Reposted from Joe

JMG Meme Alert

There are more. (Tipped by Dr. Jeff)

Labels: GOP, Rick Perry, silliness

reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Perry Defends "I Hate Gays" Ad

(Via - Igor Volsky)

Labels: assholery, GOP, Rick Perry, theocracy

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Ricky Martin

"I'm very sad about the turn the discussion on Criminal Law is taking in Puerto Rico that proposes the elimination of aggravating factors in cases where crimes are committed out of prejudice toward the victim. They ought to do their homework and review a little the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says that everyone - the citizens - are equal before the law and have, without distinction, the right to equal protection under the law." - Ricky Martin, on Puerto Rico's move to exclude LGBT people from hate crimes protections.

RELATED: Change.org has launched a petition to Puerto Rico's legislators.

Labels: hate crimes, HomoQuotable, Puerto Rico, Ricky Martin

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: TENNESSEE: High School Student Commits Suicide After Anti-Gay Bullying [UPDATED]

Yesterday Tennessee high school student Jacob Rogers killed himself after complaining about anti-gay bullying from his classmates that had forced him to drop out of school. Rogers left suicide notes that included the passwords for his phone and his email so that authorities could view what he had endured.

Friends say that kids bullied Jacob Rogers at Cheatham County Central High School for the past four years, but in the past few months it had become so bad he dropped out of school. And Wednesday, he ended his life. "He started coming home his senior year saying 'I don't want to go back. Everyone is so mean. They call me a faggot, they call me gay, a queer,'" friend Kaelynn Mooningham said. Kaelynn said her friend Jacob felt ignored. "Jacob told me no one was helping him. He constantly was going to guidance," she said. But Cheatham County Schools Director Dr. Tim Webb said the school was only aware of one incident of bullying. "She actually intervened and called the students in accused of bullying or picking. She called them in, talked to them and gave them warnings. Subsequently after that, she ran into the student and asked him if things were better and he indicated that things were better," Webb said.

The above-linked article does not disclose if Rogers was actually gay.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: As noted in the above-linked story, the family of Jacob Rogers does not have the money for a funeral. Today JMG, Towleroad, and Dan Savage at Seattle's Stranger are posting the below Paypal donation link. Savage is capping the donations at $5000. Anything over that amount will go to the Trevor Project, GLSEN, and the It Gets Better Project. I'm kicking in with $20 to get things rolling here. If your situation allows, please consider making a small donation too.

UPDATE II: In less than three hours, the fundraising goal has been met. I don't say it enough, but I love my people. Big bear hugs to all of you.

Labels: bullying, education, suicide, Tennessee

reposted from Joe